Oakwood High School - Acorn Yearbook (Fithian, IL)

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□ - THE ACORN □ THE FACULTY u

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□ THE ACORN □ such election, the board was given authority to issue such bonds, which was done and the same were sold at a very good price. Previous to the completion of the School Building, contracts were let to Wm. C. F. Kuhne for the construction of the care-taker’s cottage, and a shelter shed for carriages and automobiles. The School building was then furnised with the very best of furniture and fixtures, purchased through C. L. Sandusky, of Danville, Illinois, and furnished by The Newton-Hoit Company, of Chicago, Illinois. At a meeting held on May 1, 1916, thirty-three applications for the position of principal of the school were placed before the Board for consideration, and Glen C. Smith, of Urbana, Illinois, the present principal, was chosen-Later Miss Annirene Kirkland, of Urbana, Illinois, Miss Edith Elmendorf, of Morrison, Illinois, and Harold J. Gentzen, of Beaver Dam, Wisconsin, were retained as instructors for the ensuing year. September 11, 1916, was set as the date for the opening of school in the new building. However, on Friday, September 8, 1916, following a period of registration of students, three of the instructors, namely: Miss Kirkland, Miss Elmendorf and Mr. Gentzen were struck and killed by an Interurban car at a point on the right of way about one-quarter of a mile west of the school building. The Board met on September 11, 1916, adopted resolutions of respect, copies of which were sent to the bereaved parents, and ordered that the auditorium of the school building be draped in mourning for a period of six months. The opening of the school was postponed until September 25, 1916. The Board later retained Wm. E. Roth, Margaret Torrence and Lora Grace Kays as instructors to take the place of those previously employed. On September 25, 1916, at nine o’clock A. M., the Board of Education attended the formal opening of the school. The school was then addressed by O. W. Michael and J. S. Purnell, after which the classes and teachers were duly assigned, and the Board retired for business. The school opened with an enrollment of eighty-eight students. At the beginning of the second semester this number was increased to ninety-four. At the first commencement of the Oakwood Township High School, in June, 1917, a class of seven students will be graduated. The school building was dedicated on Friday, April 27, 1917, at which time there were exercises and speaking. The school has been fully accredited by the proper authorities of the State of Illinois. Favored as it is by abundant resources, a beautiful and well constructed building, a location accessible to all, and a spirit of genuine friendship among members of the Board, parents, teachers and students, the school promises to be one of the leading educational institutions in the State. 10

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□---------------THE ACORN □ GLEN C. SMITH, B. S. Principal University of Illinois Instructor in Agriculture and History 12